Inflatable personnel safety marker

ABSTRACT

An inflatable flotation device adapted to provide a large visual target for locating persons in distress is disclosed. The device comprises a long narrow air-tight tube covered with Mylar or other light reflective material. The tube is closed at one end and has valve device at the other end for manual inflation of the tube. The tube is divided into seven segments and folded at the intersections therebetween so that the tube when inflated forms a regular tetrahedral configuration. One tip of the tetrahedron will always project a significant distance out of the water to provide a highly visible marker which can be seen for long distances to assist in spotting a person in distress.

United States Patent 1191 Scesney 1451 Apr. 15, 1975 [76] Inventor:George A. Scesney, 3825 Scott St.,

No. 103, San Francisco, Calif. 94123 [22] Filed: May 2, 1974 [21] Appl.No.: 466,362

[52] U.S. Cl 9/14; 9/8 R; 9/9; 9/313; 116/63 P [51] Int. Cl. B63c 9/16[58] Field of Search 9/8 R, 9, 11A,l4, 313; 116/63 P, 63 PR, 124 B, DIG.8; 135/15 PQ; 52/2 [56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 156,44311/1874 Stoner 9/313 827,350 7/1906 Crofford 9/123 3,008,214 11/1961Foster et 31.... 52/2 3,397,117 8/1968 Smith et a] 9/11 A 3,613,09710/1971 Daughenbaugh 9/8 R 3,800,735 4/1974 Simpson 116/63 P FOREIGNPATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 891,304 3/1962 United Kingdom ..9/9 1,316,06812/1962 France 52/2 Primary E.raminerTrygve M. Blix AssistantExaminer-Edward R. Kazenske Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Tbwnsend andTownsend [57] ABSTRACT An inflatable flotation device adapted to providea large visual target for locating persons in distress is disclosed. Thedevice comprises a long narrow airtight tube covered with Mylar or otherlight reflective material. The tube is closed at one end-and has valvedevice at the other end for manual inflation of the tube. The tube isdivided into seven segments and folded at the intersections therebetweenso that the tube when inflated forms a regular tetrahedralconfiguration. One tip of the tetrahedron will always project asignificant distance out of the water to provide a highly visible markerwhich can be seen for long distances to assist in spotting a person indistress.

11 Claims, 6 Drawing Figures INFLATABLE PERSONNEL SAFETY MARKERBACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to safetymarkers, and in particular to a manually inflatable safety marker havinga tetrahedral configuration.

One of the difficult problems in water safety is locat ing the positionof a person floating in the water. When a person is floating, only asmall part of his body is above the water, and even if he is wearing abright colored life preserver, the person is very difficult to locate,especially when the surface of the water is not still. Devices do existfor marking the place of a person in distress in the water, but thesedevices are ordinarily relatively large and expensive, and they are notapplicable for use by private boaters and sportsmen. They are too largeto be conveniently carried on the person, usually being stored on a liferaft, and because of their expense cannot be carried as standard safetygear. Furthermore, such devices are ordinarily relatively complex andrequire periodic maintenance to prevent a high incidence of failure.

The present invention provides an inflatable safety marker which canconveniently be carried on a person. The device comprises a long, narrowair-tight tube closed at one end and having valve means at the other endfor manual inflation of the tube, eliminating the need for automaticinflation mechanisms. The tube is divided into a plurality of segmentsand folded at the intersections between the respective segments so thatthe tube when inflated forms a preselected polyhedron. At least one ofthe segments is attached in parallel to one of the other segments andthe opposite ends of the tube are attached to fold at intersectionsbetween segments to maintain the inflated tube in the preselectedpolyhedral configuration.

In the preferred embodiment of the present invention, the tube isdivided into seven equal length segments to form a regular tetrahedron.In this configuration, the tube will float in the water on one planarface of the tetrahedron, and one of the apexes thereof will projectvertically so that the marker is easily visible. The ability to locateobjects at sea is proportional to the height of the object, particularlyso in the presence of waves. The peak of the tetrahedral tube willproject a significant distance above the water, much greater that thehead of the person floating and can be coated with optical and/or radarreflective material so that the person can be easily located tofacilitate rescue of that individual. With an optically retroreflectivecoating and a tetrahedral tube having four foot sides, it is estimatedthat the marker would be visible at distances up to to times fartherthan a person floating in still water, with corresponding increase inlikelihood of detection at shorter distances.

The safety marker of the present invention, when uninflated, can easilybe stored in a relatively small container which can attach to a lifepreserver or other garment so that the tube is readily available for usewhen needed. The safety marker of the present invention is adapted to bemanually inflated in the preferred embodiment, reducing the requiredsize of the apparatus and also minimizing the possibility ofmalfunction. Also, the cost of the device will be relatively low, makingit readily affordable for the ordinary sportsman so that he canincorporate it as part of his safety equipment.

The novel features which are believed to be characteristic of theinvention, both as to organization and method of operation, togetherwith further objects and advantages thereof will be better understoodfrom the following description considered in connection with theaccompanying drawings in which preferred embodiments of the inventionare illustrated by way of example. It is to be expressly understood,however, that the drawings are for the purpose of illustration anddescription only and are not intended as a definition of the limits ofthe invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a perspective view of aperson floating in the water with the safety marker of the presentinvention attached;

FIG. 2 is a side cross sectional elevation view of the tube comprisingthe safety marker;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a life jacket employing the safetymarker of the present invention;

FIG. 4 is a sequential view showing the assembly of the tetrahedralsafety marker;

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary view of the handle attached to the safetymarker;

FIG. 6 is a fragmentary view illustrating various additions which can bemade to the safety marker of the present invention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The proposed use of the safetymarker 8 of the present invention is illustrated by way of reference toFIG. 1. Safety marker 8 has a tube 10 formed in a regular tetrahedralconfiguration, although other configurations could be used as well. Theadvantage of the regular tetrahedral configuration is that the marker 8will always float on one face of the tetrahedron defined by three of thesegments of tube 10, and one apex of the marker will always projectdirectly upwardly. One end of tube 10 is attached to the life jacket 12of a person 14 floating in the water by means of straps 16. In thismanner, safety marker 8 will float adjacent person 14 floating in thewater so that the safety marker locates the spot of the person indistress. Straps 16 can be of any desired length, a length up to 10 feetbeing preferred to allow safety marker 8 to float independent from theperson to whom it is attached.

In the preferred embodiment of safety marker 8, the inner portion oftube 10 comprises polyurethane impregnated nylon which is air-tight sothat the tube can be inflated. Other air-tight materials such aselectrostatically sealed vinyl could also be used. Mylar material 20,more properly termed aluminized cellophane, can be wrapped around nylon18. The entire tube could be constructed of Mylar, but at a substantialdecrease in strength, and this embodiment is not recommended. Mylar 20is both highly visually reflective so that incident light or radar beamsillustrated by arrow 22 are retro-reflective as illustrated by arrow 24.It is estimated that the use of visually reflective material willincrease the range at which the marker will be spotted by searchlight bya factor of 8 to 10. This, combined with the greater height of thesafety marker relative to a person floating in the water, will result ina substantial increase in the distance at which the person can belocated.

The safety marker of the present invention can readily be attached to anarticle of clothing such as life preserver 12 as illustrated in FIG. 3.A relatively small cylindrical container 30 can be attached to the frontof preserver 12. The tube will be attached by means of strap 16 to thelife preserver so that the tube is not lost when pulled from container30. The safety marker of the present invention is relativelyinexpensive, and since it is manually inflated, it can be storedindefinitely in container 30. Hence, the safety marker can be storedwith the safety gear of a heater or sportsman and form part of hissafety gear. When needed, the marker is readily accessible, and sincethe preferred embodiment thereof is manually inflatable, he need notworry about its deterioration from prolonged non-use and lack ofperiodic maintenance.

As mentioned above, the preferred embodiment of the safety marker 8 ofthe present invention comprises a tetrahedral configuration. To attainthis configuration, tube is divided into seven segments, labeled athrough g in FIG. 4. The tube is folded at the intersections betweensegments as illustrated so that segments c and f are in parallel. Thefree end of segment a is attached to the intersection between segments dand e, and the free end of segment g is attached to the intersectionbetween segments a and b. In this manner, a single tube is able to formthe complex tetrahedral shape with only two of the segments overlapping.One of the advantages of the tetrahedral configuration is that no morethan one tube segment need overlap any other tube segment, thusincreasing the efficiency of the device and decreasing the air whichmust be used to inflate it.

In the preferred embodiment of the present invention, tube 10 ismanually inflated by means of a mouthpiece such as 20 illustrated inFIG. 5. A handle 22 is attached to tube 10 by means of a flap 24, whichcircumscribes one portion of handle 22 and is sewn to tube 10.Mouthpiece 20 projects through an aperture 26 in handle 20. Aperture 26has a variable cross section, the upper end 28 having a diameter equalto the diameter of mouthpiece 20, the lower portion 30 of aperture 26having a progressively smaller width. In this manner, tube 10 can bereadily inflated when mouthpiece 20 is at the upper end 28 of aperture26. When the tube is fully inflated, mouthpiece 20 can be presseddownwardly along aperture 26 so that it is pinched together asillustrated in phantom in FIG. 5. The lower end of aperture 26 can beserrated as illustrated at 32 to insure that the pinched tube is lockedat the lower end of the aperture. Hence, tube 10 can easily be manuallyinflated when necessary, and after inflation can be easily sealed sothat it remains in its inflated configuration.

As discussed above, the preferred embodiment of the tube 10 of thesafety marker is visually retro-reflective in order to enhance itsvisibility. In order to increase the visibility of the marker further, apennant such as 40 can be added to the marker as illustrated in FIG. 6Pennant 40 has a relatively large planar surface to provide a glint" orflash much like a mirror to attract the attention of a person lookingfor the marker. Furthermore, material of a contrasting color such as 42can be added to 10 to further increase the likelihood of recognizing thesafety marker and finding a person floating in the water.

While preferred embodiments of the present invention have beenillustrated in detail, it is apparent that modifications and adaptationsof those embodiments will occur to those skilled in the art. Inparticular, it is apparent that a C0 cartridge or other apparatus couldbe included so that the safety marker is self-inflating, which would bea particular advantage in larger markers, such as markers adapted to beused with a large raft. However, it is to be expressly understood thatsuch modifications and adaptations are within the spirit and scope ofthe present invention, as set forth in the following claims.

What I claim as new is:

1. An inflatable safety marker adapted to provide a large target forlocating persons in distress, said marker comprising a long narrowair-tight tube closed at one end and having valve means at the other endfor inflation of the tube, said tube being divided into a plurality ofsegments and folded at the intersections between the respective segmentsso that the tube when inflated forms a preselected polyhedron, at leastone of the segments being attached in parallel to one of the othersegments and the opposite ends of the tube being attached to foldedintersections between segments to maintain the inflated tube in thepreselected polyhedral configuration.

2. A safety marker as recited in claim 1 wherein the tube is dividedinto a plurality of substantially equal length segments so that the tubewhen inflated forms a preselected regular polyhedron.

3. A safety marker as recited in claim 2 wherein the tube is dividedinto seven substantially equal segments and wherein only one of thesegments is attached in parallel to one of the other segments so thatthe tube when inflated forms a regular tetrahedron.

4. A safety marker as recited in claimv l and additionally comprising acontainer having a relatively small interior volume, said containeradapted to contain the air-tight tube when uninflated, said containerbeing attachable to an article of wearing apparel for convenient storageof the tube prior to use in an emergency.

5. A safety marker as recited in claim 1 wherein the tube comprisesair-tight nylon and Mylar material covering said air-tight nylon toprovide a highly visually reflective surface.

6. A safety marker as recited in claim 1 wherein the air-tight tubeincludes radar reflective means along its length to provide a targethaving a large radar cross section.

7. A safety marker as recited in claim 1 wherein the valve meanscomprises a mouthpiece for manual inflation of the air-tight tube, andmeans for preventing escape of air from the inflated tube.

8. An inflatable safety marker adapted to provide a large target forlocating persons in distress, said marker comprising a long narrowair-tight tube closed at one end and having valve means at the other endfor manual inflation of the tube, said tube being divided into sevenequal length segments and folded at the intersections between therespective segments so that the tube when inflated forms a regulartetrahedron, one of the segments being attached in parallel to one ofthe other segments and the opposite ends of the tubes being attached tointersections between segments to maintain the inflated tube in theregular tetrahedral configuration.

9. A safety marker as recited in claim 8 wherein the tube comprisesair-tight nylon, Mylar material covering said air-tight nylon, and aMylar pennant extending from said tube, whereby the device has a highlyvisually and radar reflective surface.

10. An inflatable safety marker adapted to provide a large target forlocating persons in distress, said device comprising:

a container having a relatively small interior volume, said containeradapted to attach to an article of wearing apparel;

a long narrow air-tight tube closed at one end and having valve means atthe other end for manual inflation of the tube, said tube being dividedinto seven equal-length segments and folded at the intersections betweenthese respective segments so that the tube when inflated forms a regulartetrahedron, one of the segments being attached in parallel to one ofthe other segments and the opposite ends of the tube being attached tofolded intersections between segments to maintain the inflated tube inthe preselected tetrahedral configuration; and

handle means attached to the other end of the tube,

said handle means adapted to draw the uninflated tube from the containerfor use and for securing said tube during the inflation thereof.

11. A safety marker as recited in claim 10 wherein the air-tight tubehas a mouthpiece for manual inflation of the tube, and wherein thehandle includes a tapered aperture, said mouthpiece adapted to fitthrough said aperture, the larger end of said aperture having a diameterapproximately equal to the outer diameter of the mouthpiece, the smallerend of the aperture adapted to pinch the tube so that air cannot escapefrom said tube so that the tube can be inflated with the mouthpiece atthe larger end of the aperture and then sealed by pinching themouthpiece in the smaller end of the aperture. l l

1. An inflatable safety marker adapted to provide a large target forlocating persons in distress, said marker comprising a long narrowair-tight tube closed at one end and having valve means at the other endfor inflation of the tube, said tube being divided into a plurality ofsegments and folded at the intersections between the respective segmentsso that the tube when inflated forms a preselected polyhedron, at leastone of the segments being attached in parallel to one of the othersegments and the opposite ends of the tube being attached to foldedintersections between segments to maintain the inflated tube in thepreselected polyhedral configuration.
 2. A safety marker as recited inclaim 1 wherein the tube is divided into a plurality of substantiallyequal length segments so that the tube when inflated forms a preselectedregular polyhedron.
 3. A safety marker as recited in claim 2 wherein thetube is divided into seven substantially equal segments and wherein onlyone of the segments is attached in parallel to one of the other segmentsso that the tube when inflated forms a regular tetrahedron.
 4. A safetymarker as recited in claim 1 and additionally comprising a containerhaving a relatively small interior volume, said container adapted tocontain the air-tight tube when uninflated, said container beingattachable to an article of wearing apparel for convenient storage ofthe tube prior to use in an emergency.
 5. A safety marker as recited inclaim 1 wherein the tube comprises air-tight nylon and Mylar materialcovering said air-tight nylon to provide a highly visually reflectivesurface.
 6. A safety marker as recited in claim 1 wherein the air-tighttube includes radar reflective means along its length to provide atarget having a large radar cross section.
 7. A safety marker as recitedin claim 1 wherein the valve means comprises a mouthpiece for manualinflation of the air-tight tube, and means for preventing escape of airfrom the inflated tube.
 8. An inflatable safety marker adapted toprovide a large target for locating persons in distress, said markercomprising a long narrow air-tight tube closed at one end and havingvalve means at the other end for manual inflation of the tube, said tubebeing divided into seven equal length segments and folded at theintersections between the respective segments so that the tube wheninflated forms a regular tetrahedron, one of the segments being attachedin parallel to one of the other segments and the opposite ends of thetubes being attached to intersections between segments to maintain theinflated tube in the regular tetrahedral configuration.
 9. A safetymarker as recited in claim 8 wherein the tube comprises air-tight nylon,Mylar material covering said air-tight nylon, and a Mylar pennantextending from said tube, whereby the device has a highly visually andradar reflective surface.
 10. An inflatable safety marker adapted toprovide a large target for locating persons in distress, said devicecomprising: a container having a relatively small interior volume, saidcontainer adapted to attach to an article of wearing apparel; a longnarrow air-tight tube closed at one end and having valve means at theother end for manual inflation of the tube, said tube being divided intoseven equal-length segments and folded at the intersections betweenthese respective segments so that the tube when inflated forms a regulartetrahedron, one of the segments being attached in parallel to one ofthe other segments and the opposite ends of the tube being attached tofolded intersections between segments to maintain the inflated tube inthe preselected tetrahedral configuration; and handle means attached tothe other end of the tube, said handle means adapted to draw theuninflated tube fRom the container for use and for securing said tubeduring the inflation thereof.
 11. A safety marker as recited in claim 10wherein the air-tight tube has a mouthpiece for manual inflation of thetube, and wherein the handle includes a tapered aperture, saidmouthpiece adapted to fit through said aperture, the larger end of saidaperture having a diameter approximately equal to the outer diameter ofthe mouthpiece, the smaller end of the aperture adapted to pinch thetube so that air cannot escape from said tube so that the tube can beinflated with the mouthpiece at the larger end of the aperture and thensealed by pinching the mouthpiece in the smaller end of the aperture.